I'll Never Let You Go (Morgans of Nashville 3)

“How old were you when you met him?”

“Twenty-two.”

“You were a kid.”

“I should have known better.” She wrapped her arms around her chest.

“You know better now.”

She stared into his stoic gaze, feeling a connection. “You’re not exactly the most open person. You keep secrets. You can be cold. And yet I’ve got a thing for you. What does that say about me?”

“You have good taste.”

The deadpan answer coaxed a laugh. “Right. Or I’m just insane.”

“You’re one of the sanest people I know, Leah.”

His words tugged at her heart as if it were a kite and he the flyer. “I’ve got to get back to work. I have patients this afternoon.”

“I’ll check around here and call you.”

“How’re you going to find him? He’s been a step ahead of us.”

“What was the name of the florist that sent you the flowers?”

“It was Nathan’s on Broadway. I called them, but they couldn’t tell me much.”

“They’ll talk to me.”

Alex was en route to Nathan’s when he got a call from Deke. “What do you have?”

“I’ve been going through Deidre’s financials, just looking to see if anything popped.”

“And?”

“Two listening devices were charged to her credit card. The make and model match the one we found in her town house the day she was murdered.”

“The exact same model?”

“Yeah. Exact. What we found, she most likely put there.”

“So why would she bug her own place?” Alex turned onto Fourth and found street parking. He shut off the engine but didn’t move.

“She was in a tough divorce. Maybe she wanted to get something on Radcliff.”

“Maybe.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

“If she planted the device, that means the receiver has to be close to her house.”

“Within a mile.”

“A search of the place revealed nothing that would have recorded conversations.”

“She just moved to that place.”

“Run down where she used to live and search it. And go over her car carefully. Then get back to me.”

“Will do.”

Alex got out of the car, bracing against the wind that whipped along the buildings, which acted as a wind tunnel. He walked the half block to Broadway and turned right. Fifteen paces later he was in Nathan’s.

A tall slim man in his midforties glanced up from an arrangement of red roses. “Can I help you?”

Alex pulled his badge from his breast pocket. “Had a question about an order placed here a few days ago.”

The man raised a brow and laid down the rose he’d been trimming. “I’ll help if I can.”

“It was an order of irises, sent to a Leah Carson.”

“Name doesn’t ring a bell, but let me have a look.” He shifted a few feet to the right to his computer. A few taps of the keys and he was nodding. “We had one order for her. Happy Anniversary.”

“That’s right. Who sent them?”

“The buyer’s name was Brian Lawrence.”

“Did he give an address or phone number?”

“Phone number.” The clerk rattled off the number. “I think I got a call from Ms. Carson asking about the flowers.”

Alex jotted down the number. “Do you have a credit card number?”

“Sure.” He glanced at the computer and shook his head. “He paid cash. Did Ms. Carson call you?”

“I’ve spoken to her. The flowers weren’t welcome.”

The florist frowned. “I saw the arrangement myself. It was stunning.”

“They were sent by a man who we believe is stalking her.”

“Oh. I had no idea.”

“Do you have security cameras?”

“No. But the bar next door does. That camera might have picked him up.”

“Thanks.”

Alex left his business card with the florist and moved next door to the bar. This early in the evening the place was empty, except for a few patrons who sat at the bar. A tall, muscled man wore a black T-shirt. The guy took one look at Alex and frowned. “Cop.”

Alex pulled out his badge. “TBI. I’m looking for security footage.”

“From when?” No shock. No surprise. He knew the drill.

“Wednesday, January eighteenth. I’m looking for a guy who went into the florist shop about ten in the morning that day.”

“I can’t help you, but my tech guy shows up in an hour. I can have him pull it for you.”

Alex handed him a card. “I’d appreciate that.”

The bouncer flicked the edge of the card with his thumb. “Guy bought flowers?”

“Among other things.”

All afternoon, every noise, every ringing phone, every footstep in the hallway, set her nerves on edge. Her stomach churned and she found it harder and harder to concentrate as the minutes ticked by. When Gail locked the front door for the evening, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?” Gail asked as she slid on her winter jacket.

Leah’s smile was a throwback to the days when she smiled all the time to conceal her fears. “I’m fine.”

“Haven’t had a chance to ask, but what was going on with your neighbor? She sounded pretty upset. Something about a moving van in front of your house.”

“It was a mix-up. The moving company parked at my house when they should have been a few houses down. It took just a second to clear up the problem.”

“So everything is fine?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You just seem a little rattled.”

“I’m fine.” She widened her grin just a fraction, knowing overdoing it could set off red flags. Didn’t want to look desperate. She’d made that mistake with her roommate when Philip had been stalking her, and when her roommate had pressed, Leah had cried and confessed her troubles. She didn’t want to cry now, or give Philip the satisfaction of knowing she was rattled. “Really.”

Gail’s gaze settled on her an extra beat before she nodded. “By the way, when you were in your last appointment, I ran Charlie outside so she’s ready to go home.”

She teetered, feeling touched at the gesture and fear for the dog she’d be taking home to a house that had been violated that morning. “Thanks. That’s so sweet.”

“You two get on. It’s been a long day.”